vampfiction
by ChronicallyChill
Summary: In these four walls lines are crossed. In these four walls it doesn't matter what they are. A vampire/donor au. Mentions of ShiItaIzu.
1. something

Hello! I was posting this on tumblr, my own site, and ao3 but I've decided to start posting it here for you guys as well. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: This story will utilize characters and situations that are the copyright of Masashi Kishimoto, Shueisha, Shonen Jump, and Viz Media. ChronicallyChill is in no way associated with the creator or producers of Naruto and no copyright infringement is intended. Obviously this is a fanfic meant solely for the entertainment of the fanfic author and (hopefully) it's readers.

* * *

**Part One: Something**

* * *

The rules were simple. No drugs, no alcohol, no extreme diets. A donor couldn't be underweight and they had to submit themselves to bi-weekly physicals. Sexually active donors were to be screened for sexually transmitted diseases frequently.

Sakura just wanted to pay for school.

She knew there were negative connotations to being a donor. Selling blood to feed the vampiric citizens of the world was looked down upon by her fellow humans, despite the fact that blood donations were part of the peace treaty between the two species and were supposed to be anonymous.

Sometimes were anonymous.

Being a donor was supposed to be impersonal. A human went to a blood bank, got their blood drawn and they would receive a check from the government every month.

The process was advertised the same way fertility clinics advertised egg donations. The vampires only wanted young and fit donors to keep the blood of a pure quality that was safe for consumption.

Humans provided healthy blood and vampires protected them from those that would slaughter them for their meals, unnecessarily killing a human when there was no need to drink them dry to feed.

In order to supply the vampires with the blood they needed for nourishment, the human government paid citizens as an incentive to keep them donating.

And Sakura really needed the money. Med school wasn't going to pay for itself.

It was tough to juggle school work and a job. And although donating paid well it wasn't lucrative enough on its own.

At least not when she was a cold donor.

For a price, vampires could get their blood fresh, straight from the source. It was the preferred way to feed but not all vampires could afford it. Before the treaty they took it as they wanted it, but without knowing the source well they left themselves vulnerable to disease.

Vampires were stronger and they lived longer, but they weren't invincible.

* * *

Eight o'clock on the dot there was a knock at her door. He was always punctual.

Turning down the corner of the page she was on, Sakura set her book down and gave herself one more once over in the hallway mirror.

Her _guest_ could have entered anytime he wanted. Not only was he too strong for the lock to keep him out but Sakura had given him a key to her apartment already.

"_Is it because I have to invite you in?"_

"_It's because my mother raised me better than that and she would skin me alive if she knew I was coming and going as I pleased from a woman's home."_

Sakura was learning that a lot of the myths she grew up with about vampires were false, stories made up by humans to give them a false sense of security.

"You've been staying up late again," was the greeting she received. Sasuke pushed past her with two bags of groceries in hand.

First myth debunked: vampires needed an invitation to enter a home.

"What gave that away?" Sakura retorted sarcastically. She knew she had bags under her eyes from late night cramming. "I just finished exam week."

"Which means you haven't been eating properly of course," Sasuke muttered, pulling out packaged meat and vegetables. A head of garlic rolled on the counter and Sasuke stopped it before it could roll onto the floor.

Second myth debunked: vampires were weak against garlic.

Instead of taking out garlic from Sakura's diet, Sasuke had added more of it. Garlic apparently had properties that helped her maintain healthy blood circulation and reduced levels of LDL cholesterol.

The pungent odor was irritating but of course it would be considering vampires had a heightened sense of smell. But that's all it was, just a small annoyance.

"What are we making tonight?"

"Stir-fry."

Her favorite nights of the week were when Sasuke came over. They would cook meals and chat━her more than him━and it would feel a little like what having a boyfriend was like.

It felt even more so like that when they made their way to her lumpy couch and Sasuke trailed his fingers under her shirt and up her back.

"Sakura…" Sasuke breathed against her sternum. His fingers trailed back down her back, smoothing over her waist before settling on her hips.

She chanted his name as she rode him, his hands on her hips guiding her movements hidden under her skirt. Sakura pressed her body closer━wanting more, aching for more.

Sakura was just reaching her peak when a sharp pain stung at her neck.

_Right. That's what he's here for…_

Sasuke lapped lazily at her neck in tandem with his final thrusts as he came down from his own release.

"Enjoy yourself?" Sakura muttered as she watched Sasuke lick his lips, savoring every drop of blood.

Sasuke kissed her instead of humoring her with a response. His tongue rolled against hers and there was a coppery after taste.

"You should brush your teeth after eating."

Sasuke only laughed through his nose and kissed her again.

* * *

"Fangbanger."

Sakura dropped her hands from her task of tying her hair up and glared at the other occupants of the gym locker room. The other women whispered to each other in the corner of the locker room, an occasional snicker coming from one of them.

Ignoring them, Sakura stuffed her bag into her locker and tied her hair up as she walked past them, not caring if her bite mark showed.

Not all warm donors had the kind of relationship she had with Sasuke. Most vampires met their donors at the blood bank and had their meal. Most donors weren't as exclusive but she and Sasuke were one of the exceptions.

.  
.

"_So you're like...a cop?" Sakura eyed the uniform Uchiha Sasuke wore to their interview._

"_That would be the equivalence, yes."_

_Sasuke shifted in his seat. Sakura narrowed her eyes at the action not sure what to make of it._

Why would a vampire be nervous of a human?

"_How old are you?"_

"_Not a very original question," Sasuke scoffed. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Twenty-three. We're not all ancient. The oldest vampire I know is my great-great uncle Madara."_

"_Oh. We're almost the same age…" Sakura expected him to be much older than her, not only by a year._

"_So you're a student?"_

"_Yes. I'm studying to be a doctor."_

_Sakura tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She expected a question about the color but it must have been obvious that it was natural. Donors weren't allowed to bleach their hair._

"_It's weird trying to get to know each other like this, huh Uchiha-san?" Sakura wrung her hands in her lap. "The technicians are sitting fifteen feet away from us and it's just kind of unnatural. I guess it's like if I went and talked to the pig that would eventually be part of my katsudon."_

_Sasuke frowned, the corners of his mouth pulling down and a wrinkle forming between his perfect eyebrows._

"_My mother said to treat this as an omiai."_

_One of the technicians cleared their throat and Sasuke threw a glare in their direction._

"_Oh."_

"_Ignore the fact that I'm a vampire."_

_A very hard task when there wasn't a human alive she knew that looked anywhere near as beautiful as the man in front of her. He was more beautiful than most vampires she had seen in passing as well._

"_We are learning about each over tea, seeing if our ideals match up, and figuring out if we want to enter a commitment with one another."_

Yeah, sure. _Sakura wanted to roll her eyes but held back._ And we ignore the fact that you're paying to snack on me.

_But he was her age and beautiful and when he did speak he was smart and funny, although what he usually found humorous was to tease her._

"_Because of my work hours it would be more suitable for me to make house calls instead of coming in at the allotted appointment times the facility schedules. Would that be an issue?"_

"_That would actually work better than having to swing by the blood bank."_

_Sakura was relieved. The blood bank was out of the way and even though they reimbursed her for the travel expenses she was usually cutting it close when it came to her class schedule or would have to take an entire day to be two cities over._

"_Then it seems our preferences match."_

_Sasuke smiled at her, just wide enough for her to catch an elongated canine._

"_What's your blood type?"_

.  
.

After that meeting they set up a schedule for when Sasuke would meet with her for his feedings.

Sasuke would typically come early evening before his shifts but sometimes he would text her or call her to let her know he wouldn't be coming around until late.

But on the evenings he came early he would bring groceries or hot meals.

"_If vampires don't need to eat why do you know how to cook?"_

"_Food is enjoyable but it doesn't fill us or keep us healthy the way it does for humans. It's sort of like what candy or coffee are to humans. You don't need it but it's something you enjoy."_

A knock on the door at nine o'clock had Sakura shuffling to her front door. It wasn't until she opened the door did she realize that she hadn't eaten dinner yet.

"Of course." Sasuke looked down at her impassively.

"I have been studying for the MCAT."

Sakura squeaked when Sasuke pressed his nose to her throat. His breath was hot but it caused a shiver to run down her spine.

"You're becoming iron deficient," Sasuke scolded her as he pulled away. "How many meals have you been skipping?"

"I get busy and I forget," she mumbled, following Sasuke into the kitchen.

She cringed when he opened her fridge and turned to glare at her. He gestured to the nearly empty fridge and silently demanded and explanation.

"I've been _really_ busy."

"You're going to collapse one of these days."

Sasuke packed her fridge up with groceries and pulled out what he needed to prepare a pasta dish. Sakura never brought it up but Sasuke seemed to have a preference for western dishes made with tomatoes.

"How's work?" Sakura asked. She sat on the counter swinging her feet as she watched Sasuke bustle around her kitchen. "Same old, same old?"

Sasuke nodded as he offered her a plate of food.

"I hate paperwork."

"It can't always be chasing down out of line vampires," she giggled before stuffing her mouth with spaghetti.

Their evenings were quiet but Sakura enjoyed the company. Especially when he kissed her gently, just the two of them in her kitchen.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura questioned as Sasuke pulled away from her.

"My break is almost over. I have to head back."

It wasn't the first time he left without feeding. And just like the other times Sakura was confused about where they stood.

* * *

He didn't sleep over often but there were times he came over really late and crawled into bed next to her. Sakura would wake up, curled against another body, and smile fondly at the sleeping face of the vampire next to her.

Her bed was too small for two but it didn't stop Sasuke from slipping under her covers and entangling his limbs with hers.

_We're strange aren't we?_

Sakura couldn't put an exact name to it, but their relationship while odd was something.

Not just vampire and donor. Not just friends.

_But something. Right?_

* * *

Sakura stared at the bottle the technician slid across the counter to her.

She was waiting for the results of her monthly pregnancy test, something donors with the capability had to submit to if they were sexually active. Although she was on birth control they had to make sure.

Humans couldn't be donors if they were pregnant.

"Why do I need to take supplements?"

"Because although you are in perfect health, the vampire assigned to you has still been collecting cold donations."

The technician flipped through the file in her hand and nodded to herself.

"Uchiha-san seems to not be getting all of the nourishment he needs from his warm donor—you, Haruno-san—which is unsettling. If the supplements do not help then there may need to be a change in assignment."

A different technician approached them and handed a slip to the technician handling her physical.

"Results are negative. You are clear to continue your donor duties. We'll see you at your next appointment."

Sakura nodded and collected her appointment reminder and her supplements.

* * *

Her thighs were his favorite place to bite. Usually.

Sakura's brows drew down in confusion as she tried to catch her breath. Instead of the usual nips that followed, Sasuke dragged his lips up her torso, pressing kisses on her stomach.

"Sakura," he panted, voice breathy against her ear as he thrust inside of her.

Vampire. Donor. What did it matter when it was just them, connected, and he touched her the way he did? Said her name the way he did?

_We're something, right?_

Sasuke kissed her as he came, moaning into her mouth. Sakura cupped his face in her hands and held him to her, wanting to be closer, not wanting to let go.

* * *

It wasn't until rays of sunlight broke through the crack of her shutters and she woke to the steady breaths at the nape of her neck that she realized that he hadn't bitten her at all the night before.

Maybe, just maybe, it wasn't just about that.


	2. everything

**Part Two: Everything**

* * *

He wasn't supposed to kiss her. That was where he first fucked up.

When his father first sent him to get a warm donor to decrease the amount he needed to drink, Sasuke assumed he would meet with a plain housewife that doubled as a donor to help provide more to her family's income. Maybe even a NEET that needed to show his parents he was doing _something_.

He even expected a _fangbanger_, a person that offered themselves as a warm donor because they fetishized vampires.

The photograph he had received was of a pretty girl in her twenties. A photograph that did no justice for the live person he met with at the blood bank. As colorful as she appeared in an image she was much more vibrant when she spoke and moved.

He wasn't supposed to kiss her but weeks of knowing Sakura, added with the blush that bloomed on the apples of her cheeks when she was frustrated with his teasing led to the moment.

If Sakura didn't hum, so content when he continued to press kisses to her mouth. If Sakura didn't sigh, so pleased, when he dragged those kisses down her jaw, down her pale, slender neck.

If. If. If.

Thinking of "Ifs" couldn't help Sasuke. It was too late for all of that and if he were honest with himself, he didn't have a single regret.

* * *

Sasuke got lucky with Sakura. He could text her or call her and tell her any available time he had and she would be ready for him.

Often he would find himself in her bed during daylight hours. If he forgot to bring his sunglasses and hat he would be trapped the whole day in Sakura's apartment.

If he was lucky he was trapped on a day that Sakura was free.

She would get up from bed to eat and do her chores but when she was done she would grab her school work and crawl back into bed. Sakura would sit up and study while Sasuke snuggled against her hip, one of his arms thrown across her lap.

"You should be sleeping," Sakura would comment, not looking up from her laptop. She would mindlessly stroke his hair, giving him affection without putting any thought to it.

"You should take a break," he countered. "I'm already naked. You should take advantage of that."

Such a curious creature. Sakura had already seen him naked on countless occasions but she never failed to get flustered.

Her cheeks would flush and he could track the spread of the heat from her face down her neck and further past her shirt. Sasuke could smell the heated blood, hear the thumping of her heart and the rushing of her blood.

"Your eyes are doing that thing again. So red," Sakura's voice wavered as Sasuke pulled her laptop away from her and set it down on the floor. "If you're hungry you can just say so. You didn't eat last night."

"If I was hungry, I would say I was."

Sasuke loomed over her, dragging his fingers up her torso, lifting her shirt with the movement. He drummed his fingers along her ribcage.

If he wanted to, he could apply enough pressure to crack them. It wouldn't take any effort on his part, just a press of his thumb and the bone would snap, puncturing a lung and causing it to collapse.

"Sasuke-kun…"

Her voice was always breathy when he brushed his fingers under the swell of her breast and rubbed his thumb up the line of her throat just under her jaw.

A press of his thumb and he could crush her windpipe.

But instead he stroked along her jaw and enjoyed the way her eyes became hooded as he touched her. There was so much trust in those eyes, never a worry about how dangerous a position she was in. So much adoration in them right before she took his hand in hers and turned her face to press a kiss to the inside of his wrist.

_Is that all for me? Really?_

Sasuke wasn't sure what he did to deserve that look in her eyes. That look of pure happiness whenever she opened the door and he was on the other side. That look that made him forget.

Forget that the delicate woman lying underneath him would age and want more and drift away from him.

Forget that he wasn't allowed to get attached.

* * *

"You should drink more."

Sasuke watched as his older brother brushed off his mother's hand as she reached to stroke his face.

"Izumi-chan, would you mind? After your meal of course."

Itachi had always been sickly and needed more than just the blood of a cold donor. Blood provided by the dhampire of his two spouses improved his condition but drinking and feeling the person as he fed had always disturbed Itachi.

Due to his disgust with himself, he never drank enough.

"_Damn pacifist,"_ their great-great uncle Madara had spat in disgust. "_Pitiful."_

Their mother wouldn't allow their father to invite Madara for their more intimate family dinners after that.

"I drink enough."

"We usually have to, uh, _distract _him," Shisui teased, tossing back his own goblet of blood. "Not that it always works but we give it our best shot."

There was a thumping sound and he choked on his gulp. From the look Izumi was giving him it was clear that she had kicked him under the table.

"Must you be so crass in front of your in-laws?"

"I didn't say anything."

"You implied it."

"May I be excused?"

The bickering ceased as everyone turned their attention to the youngest member of the family. Sasuke kept his eyes on his father—ignoring everyone else—who simply nodded before turning his attention back to the warm bowl in front of him.

Sasuke didn't usually mind when his family gathered every week for dinner. But for the past few weeks there was an irritation building up whenever he sat across from his brother.

Here he was struggling with resisting drinking and his brother as always did so with ease despite the fact that he was being encouraged to drink from his wife.

"That's a nasty habit."

Sasuke crushed his cigarette under his foot, kicking it off the engawa and into his mother's garden.

"She's going to find that," his brother warned him.

"I'll blame Shisui."

"This isn't like you."

"I always blame Shisui for things."

"That's not what I mean."

Sasuke sighed and took a seat on the ledge of the engawa.

"How long is this lecture going to take?"

"This is exactly what I mean." Itachi took a seat, giving Sasuke his space. "You're really snappy lately and you don't really care about anything. What's going on?"

"It's nothing." Sasuke cringed at how quick he was to respond, proving that he was being as snappish as his brother said he was being.

It wasn't his family's fault that he was feeling the way he was. None of them were to blame for his predicament.

It wasn't their fault that they were happy while he wasn't.

* * *

Sasuke chose to ignore his phone ringing in his pocket for the third time when he heard her clear her throat.

Sakura nodded toward the bottle on the counter and then looked up at him. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, drawing inward on herself. The gesture made her look even smaller than she already was.

"Is there something wrong with me?"

"Nothing's wrong with you."

"Then why are they giving me supplements? They said you've been collecting cold donations."

_Oh. The cold donations._

In an effort to curb his appetite, Sasuke had been making sure to fill up before he met with Sakura. He was testing a theory that if he were too full before sex that he wouldn't be driven by instinct to feed. He didn't need to feed more than three times a week but he wanted to see Sakura a lot more often.

The problem was that his triggers for hunger were the same things that aroused him when it came to Sakura.

And how was he supposed to explain that to her?

Trying to think of an answer that would suffice was difficult enough without his phone ringing continuously. He pulled it out of his pocket and peeked at the Caller ID. "Uzumaki K." flashed on his screen and he stared at it.

There was a chance it was work related but there was an even higher chance that it wasn't.

"I have to take this," Sasuke told her reluctantly sliding his finger across the screen to answer.

"_First let me just say," _a haughty feminine voice broke through without greeting, "_Suigetsu did it."_

So it wasn't work related. Sasuke sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"_But it was your fault it happened," _Karin continued. "_You haven't been answering your phone for days and no one knows where you go apart from work and it's not like you have a life."_

"What did you idiots do?" Sasuke hissed. From his peripheral, Sakura's eyes widened in shock and her guarded pose dropped a bit of its tension.

"_Let me reiterate that it was Suigetsu," _an angry shout came muffled through the speaker. "_He may have broken the door to your apartment."_

"You're fucking kidding," Sasuke growled. "My door? Really?"

"_You really think I would _want _to tell you that we broke something of yours?"_

Sasuke sighed and rubbed his forehead. As snarky as she could get, Karin wasn't stupid enough to get on his bad side.

But she wasn't above annoying him and letting Suigetsu take the fall.

"You're a tracker. You could have found me at any moment if you wanted."

"_You were the one that said to stop chasing you down. Not my fault your messy ass can't answer a cell phone that's literally always in your pocket."_

"Didn't realize you were so clingy. I don't get how Konan puts up with you. You would think she would be tired of babysitting."

"_Leave her out of this!"_

Sasuke smirked as Karin ranted about leaving her girlfriend out of their conversations. If anything was her weak spot that was it. She always got touchy when it was brought up how much younger she was than Konan. It wasn't the largest gap for a vampire couple but it was still a sore spot for her.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura brought his attention back to her and the conversation they had been having.

"_Wait? Are you with a woman? You date?! Why didn't you say anything? Sasuke? Sasuke!"_

Sasuke hung up and put his phone on vibrate before he stuffed it back in his pocket. He barely removed his hand before his phone started vibrating. Karin wasn't going to let it go.

"It was a coworker." That didn't sound right at all. "A friend. She and another friend were curious about my whereabouts."

"You could have told them. I wouldn't have minded."

"It's none of their business."

The response came out too quickly and it sounded awkward to Sasuke's own ears.

"Sakura—"

"It's okay." Sakura sighed and played with the supplement bottle on the counter, refusing to look at him. "You should go take care of whatever they needed to call you about."

_I should be taking care of this._

"I have stuff to take care of for school anyway. So if you're here for blood you should just get that over with."

Sasuke gripped her shoulder and leaned down, tracing the side of her throat with his nose. His lips brushed against her skin and she flinched under his touch.

Biting her wasn't his intention. He kissed the junction of her neck and shoulder, trailing more kisses up her throat right under her jaw.

_I don't want blood. I want everything._

Perhaps if he had said his thoughts out loud Sakura wouldn't have pushed against his chest and turned him around so he faced her apartment door.

He sighed and grabbed his coat off of the kitchen island when he heard the bedroom door shut with a click.

.  
.

It wasn't the first time Sasuke had been kicked out of Sakura's apartment. Although the first time it had happened he had been kicked out for something he found far more pleasant.

As much as she had enjoyed her orgasm, Sakura didn't enjoy finding out the source of blood that caused the smear on Sasuke's chin.

"_It's still blood and orgasms help with cramping."_

"_Get out! Out of my apartment!"_

Due to her embarrassment she had pushed him out of her apartment, with his shoes in hand and his pants riding low on his hips. He was stuck outside half dressed until she opened her door again and let him back inside so he could gather the rest of his clothing.

They had sat down and discussed boundaries and that just because her period came early, it didn't mean he could snack away as he pleased. The days of her period were usually the days he never visited because Sakura arranged their schedule around them and she preferred it that way.

She was supposed to refrain from doing her donor duties while menstruating but Sasuke saw no reason for her not to offer a different way for him to consume blood. Especially if he was more than willing to help her deal with the pesky, painful symptoms of her menstrual cycle.

"_It's not all liquid how can you consume that?!"_

"_How do you drink boba tea?"_

"_That's not the same!"_

They had argued but there was a shift in their relationship that day. Something more open about them came about because of the incident. As physically intimate as they were there was something that kept them both so closed off from each other.

"_If you want you can stay,"_ Sakura had mumbled, averting her gaze, "_I know I'm on the rag and you can't drink from a menstruating donor for their health and safety but you don't have to leave…"_

How was it that they could be naked in front of each other but still uncomfortable with leaving their feelings bare for the other to see?

Sasuke knew Sakura wanted more than just his visits. Wanted more than just his touch. It was in the way she looked at him, eyes full of yearning even when they lay side by side waiting for their breathing to slow down. She clung to him in her sleep the same way he clung to her when they were awake.

Their words danced around in an awkward shuffle, refusing to be the one that changed their dynamic.

Although Sasuke wanted Sakura to make the first move, to voice what she wanted from him, he knew it was unfair.

She had more to lose than he did. He could walk away from her, ask for another donor if he felt uncomfortable. Sakura would be hurt and terminated as a donor. He needed her blood and she needed the money.

What they needed not what they wanted because Sasuke was sure that what they had wasn't out of convenience. Everything could change if one of them would just take the plunge and say it out loud.

_I want you._

* * *

_Sakura would love to meet Karin._

That was all that went through Sasuke's mind as he watched the redhead socialize and introduce her lover to their coworkers. No one would ever doubt that Karin was a vampire. Karin dressed and carried herself in the exact way Sakura had once assumed all vampires did. Clad in leather and revealing just enough skin to be just short of scandalous, Karin and Konan made a vision of seductresses of the night.

_Sakura would probably go nuts over my formal uniform._

Sasuke clutched at the fabric of his cape. Darker than the police uniform, the vampiric military force had a flare for the dramatic. The formal uniforms were for aesthetic purposes not for practical use.

He could almost hear Sakura's cheerful voice mocking him.

"_So you _do _own a cape!"_

Sasuke hid a smile behind his goblet. He had been avoiding socializing as much as he could but someone was sure to ask if they noticed even the slightest tick of his facial muscles.

Sakura could usually tell what he was thinking just from the slightest shift.

.  
.

"_You're laughing at me!" Sakura pouted, pulling her phone to her chest and shielding it with her hand._

"_I'm not even smiling how am I laughing at you?" Sasuke scoffed but turned his mouth into the back of his hand to hide his face just in case he broke through his facade. He had been busy chopping vegetables which was probably why Sakura thought she could sneak up on him._

_There was a chance she would be unhappy to know that he was aware of her creeping around him the whole time._

"_I just wanted one picture," Sakura pleaded. "You said it was a myth that vampires don't show up in photographs. Looks like I have proof now that you were telling the truth."_

"_I think what I said was that my great-great uncle Madara was the only one that didn't show up in photographs. Something about cameras stealing your soul."_

"_You're kidding."_

"_No I'm serious. We really do have souls."_

"_Not that part!"_

_Sakura burst into a peal of laughter and there was no more hiding his forming smile._

"_He avoids mirrors too. It's why his hair always looks a mess. The older generation has an aversion for a lot of things because of superstitions and that's probably what led to all of the vampire myths."_

_Sakura laughed harder and the sound caused a fluttering sensation to fill his stomach. It was doing that a lot lately._

_Taking his mother's lead about treating the process like an omiai, Sasuke spent more time with Sakura than necessary. There was no awkwardness about how he would sink his fangs into her slender neck._

_The only awkwardness came from how he wanted to drag his lips lower down the line of her throat and suck on something other than her blood._

_Her company was enjoyable and she was pretty and his mother really messed him up with her comment._

_Treating her like a person and not like his food made Sakura more comfortable with him touching her, putting his mouth on her, but it also made Sasuke more comfortable in her presence._

_She wasn't just something he had scheduled during the week. She was someone he looked forward to seeing. This was more than just blood._

_And that was terrifying._

"_A candid photo and you still look good," Sakura grumbled as she looked at her phone's screen. Her voice was low but Sasuke caught her words easily with his superior hearing._

_His tracker hearing._

_Hunter hearing._

_Hearing of a predator._

"_What was that?" He asked her, leaning over so that they were at eye level with each other. "Didn't catch that."_

"_It was nothing."_

_Sakura's face bloomed a pretty blush that dusted the apples of her cheeks._

"_I could have sworn you said something," he continued to bug her, watching the heated color intensify to a deep red._

_A pretty, pretty red of blood rushing to her face._

"_Something about my good looks, maybe?"_

_Sakura glared at him, and the blush spread down her neck._

"_Yeah I said that. It's not like you aren't aware of how good looking you are!" Sakura retorted hotly. Her heart was pumping fast beats that drummed in Sasuke's ears._

"_True."_

_He slid his hands on the countertop, trapping her within his arms. She gulped and it was humorously audible now that Sasuke was focused on every little thing Sakura was doing._

_Focused on the way her eyes shifted from his mouth to the side and back. On the way her chest was rapidly rising and falling. On the sound of her staggered breathing._

_All signs her blood was rushing, swirling around and perfect for the taking._

_So Sasuke took what he wanted._

_Sakura's breath hitched against his mouth, soft lips trembling as they parted from the pressure of Sasuke's kiss. Sasuke sucked her lower lip into his mouth as he cradled her closer to his body. Slipping his tongue inside her mouth, he coaxed a content sigh of hers to roll against his tongue._

Not enough. _Sasuke moaned softly as Sakura's fingers brushed the points of his ears to grip his hair._

"_Your ears...?" Sakura pulled back slightly, a wrinkle forming between her eyebrows. "They're—"_

"_Yeah, they're pointed, don't worry about them," Sasuke huffed, frustrated that she had stopped moving her lips against his._

My neck hurts, _he griped inwardly_.

_He gripped her hips and lifted her up so she was seated on her island. Sakura squeaked and dragged her hands down from his hair and cupped his neck._

"_You're too short," Sasuke explained. Sakura narrowed her eyes at him and opened her mouth to retort but Sasuke didn't give her the chance._

_He pulled her closer to the edge of the counter and stood between her legs. He drummed his fingers on her thighs and slid them up before taking hold of her waist._

_Sakura moaned against his mouth as he rocked against her. The more he rubbed himself against her and she scratched lightly at his back through his open flannel and t-shirt the harder he got. She dragged her nails down and with some fumbling she slid her hands under the hem and raked her nails up his torso._

_Sasuke was tugging on the waistband of her shorts when Sakura stilled in his hold. She pulled away from him and wrapped her hand around his wrist. She didn't have the strength to push him away━she was only human of course━but that one movement froze him in place._

"_I," Sakura licked her lips, "don't have any condoms here. I never have them."_

_Sasuke sighed and dropped his forehead on hers. He hadn't meant to take it as far as they did but he couldn't deny being hopeful as he stood there with a throbbing ache in between his legs._

"_Next time...I'll bring some, hm?"_

"_Okay." Sakura nodded, cheeks flushed and clothes rumpled. "That...that sounds good."_

"_You know," Sasuke smoothed his palms flat on her thighs, "there's a lot we can still do."_

"_You're laughing at me again," Sakura grumbled but she slid her hands up his torso and looped her arms around his neck. "Why do I get the feeling that you're just going to keep teasing me from now on?"_

.  
.

"Are you really hiding in the shadows at a vampire function?"

Sasuke peered through his peripheral at the person disrupting his moment of recollection. Karin sidled up next to him against the wall. Besides being an excellent tracker she was able to mask her presence the best. Not the muscle of their department but without her finding rogue vampires would be difficult.

But her habit of sneaking up on people was irritating to no end.

"You're so creepy even by vampire standards." Karin exaggerated a shiver and fished a cherry out of her drink. "You've got enough gloom for the whole ball."

"What do you want Karin?"

"You don't smell like you usually do." Karin side eyed him, smile toothy and flashing her fangs. "Cleaned up the reek of human I see."

Sasuke loomed over her small form. Even slimmer, more lithe than Sakura, and yet his overwhelming height didn't faze her. Karin just scoffed and took a prim sip of her fruity drink.

"You're bringing down the party." Karin adjusted the clasp holding his cloak together. "Just go home. Or wherever it is you would rather be."

Sasuke glanced over at the rest of the ball room. Everyone was still in the midst of the military force's festivities.

"No one is going to miss your antisocial ass." Karin pushed on his shoulder and then waved him away with shooing motions of her hand. "Now go before anyone notices _I'm_ gone because I had to check on your morose self."

Karin adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose and gave him one of her looks that was a cross between disappointment and haughtiness that she had perfected over the years. Usually it was given to Suigetsu but occasionally Sasuke was on the receiving end. It never really affected him until now.

If there was every a time he deserved that look, it was in this moment.

"You're less depressing to hang around when you stink of human."

Karin didn't wait to see what decision he made. She chose to find Konan and link her arm with hers, happily escorting her around the ballroom to be introduced to any of Karin's coworkers and friends. She beamed at her taller girlfriend and was openly affectionate whenever she got the chance.

She was content and nothing else mattered.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned to leave the ballroom. The ball was getting duller by the second and there was somewhere much more appealing to be.

* * *

It was two in the morning and he hadn't called ahead but Sasuke had no qualms over his late night appearance at Sakura's apartment.

A normal human would have been sleeping or trying to sleep.

Not Sakura. Sakura would be up late and studying. Sasuke knew enough about her habits to know she wouldn't be sleeping like she should have been.

And sure enough when she opened the door she was in a pair of shorts and camisole to sleep in but was wearing her reading glasses, a sign that she had been in the middle of working on an assignment or reading a medical journal.

"I wasn't expecting you."

Sakura slipped her glasses off and folded up the frames. She shifted on the balls of her feet and she hid her hands behind her back.

"I didn't plan to come."

Sakura jutted out her lower lip and narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion. He knew it was out of character for him to come over on a whim.

On his way over to Sakura's apartment he kept arguing with himself, going back and forth on what he should do.

His mind kept telling him to go home, to forget his urges and stay in control, but his body as if moving on its own had him finding himself at her door and his fist raised, ready to knock.

Sakura took note of his cape and there was a glimmer in her eye. The muscles on her face twitched but remained as impassive as she could muster.

But her eyes always gave her away. Despite herself they had gleamed the way they always did when she opened her door and he was standing outside of it.

She stepped aside and let him into her apartment.

"Before you ask, no I didn't come for━"

He didn't get a chance to finish when Sakura pulled him by the flaps of his cloak and stood on her toes, pressing her mouth against his. Without hesitation he molded his lips over hers and slid his arms around her torso, pulling her closer. Sasuke held her tight and prayed she wouldn't pull away.

Sasuke backed her away from the entry way and into the kitchen area. He wasn't patient enough to get her to even the couch of the section that made up the living room let alone her bedroom. He lifted her up on top of the island that divided the kitchen and the living room, sucking her lower lip into his mouth.

"I missed you," Sakura moaned when he released her lip in favor of pressing hot open mouthed kisses along her jaw and down her throat.

It had only been a week but Sasuke was used to seeing Sakura almost everyday with his habit of sleeping over and spending whole days in her apartment. He had only ever gone one day away from her at a time after they had first became physically involved.

So he missed her too.

He missed listening to her stories about her professors and classmates. Missed berating her about her eating and sleep habits. Missed how she would always be so cold and still only wear shorts and a camisole in her apartment choosing instead to bundle up with a blanket.

Sasuke also missed the way they moved together.

He missed the way she breathed. Missed the way her thighs trembled when he glided his hands on them, stroking them. Missed the way his name got caught in her throat.

Sasuke tugged at her shorts, roughly pulling them down. He missed being inside her as well and he knew they would both be happier if she had far less clothing. Sakura yanked off her cami and tossed it aside without a care for where it had gone and Sasuke moved his kisses further down her chest, wrapping his lips around a hardened nipple.

He could feel her fingers fumbling at the clasp of his cloak and he brushed her fingers away. She protested but then squealed when he picked her back up and moved her to the couch. He went for the clasp himself and Sakura busied herself with unbuckling his belt.

"Now. _Please_," Sakura pleaded as she unbuttoned his suit jacket. He shimmied out of it as Sakura assisted him in undressing by untucking his dress shirt. She attempted to undo the buttons but her fumbling fingers kept slipping.

"Forget the damn buttons!" Sasuke hissed. He licked his fingers and rubbed them over the tip of his cock before taking himself in hand and guiding himself into Sakura's tight, wet heat. "Ffuuck..."

Sakura moaned her approval and grinded her hips down, moving without him, not caring to adjust to his intrusion. She squeezed her breasts in both of her hands and bit down on her lower lip.

_Fuck…_

Sasuke pulled her legs over his lap and gripped her hips as he drilled into her, thrusting deeply causing her to gasp out in staccato beats.

His thrusting got sloppier as he moved his focus on kissing her deeply. Sakura whined in frustration and Sasuke felt the vibrations roll against his tongue.

Sakura rolled them so that Sasuke landed on the ground with a groan.

"You okay?" She asked as she straddled his lap, knees at the sides of his hips. He growled at her but gripped her hips tightly. "Good."

She sank back down on his length and using her hands on his chest as an anchor she bounced up and down on his lap, throwing her head back as Sasuke matched her bouncing with upwards thrusts. He slid his thumb over her clit and rubbed in circles at the same pace Sakura was setting.

"Shit!" He could feel himself slipping over the edge as the muscles of Sakura's core fluttered around his cock. Sasuke pumped upwards hard, holding Sakura down, no longer letting her move.

Sakura came, crying out as she collapsed against his chest. Sasuke followed after her still holding onto her hips. He gripped tightly and spilled inside of her, finishing with slow lazy thrusts.

They laid there on the ground chest to chest waiting for their breathing to slow down.

"Yeah, so I missed you too."

Sakura snorted, pressing her face into the crook of his neck. Sasuke felt her sigh, warm breath puffing out onto his flesh.

He listened to her heart slow down it's beating until she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Sasuke blinked and stretched out his limbs. He huffed out a breath and turned his head to the empty gap Sakura usually took up in bed. He sat up and scanned the bedroom floor for his boxer briefs. Sasuke had finally removed all of his clothing after carrying Sakura to bed.

Everything was rumpled but luckily he had some clothing in the bottom of Sakura's closet and he could always borrow her iron.

_No idea how I'm going to explain some of those stains to the cleaners…_

Not bothering with anything but his underwear he rubbed his forehead with the heel of his hand. Heading out to Sakura's kitchen he paused outside of the bedroom door at the sight of Sakura sitting on her living room floor in nothing but his cape.

"Um, I…"

Her face flushed red and she wrapped the oversized cloak around her small form. Sasuke exhaled through his nose and smiled softly.

"It's a good look for you," he teased her and took a seat on the couch.

Sakura buried her glowing red face into the flaps of his cloak. It was a really good look for her. Sasuke could look at her face forever and never get bored. It was a while before she poked her head back out from his cape.

"You didn't drink last night."

"I didn't come here for blood."

Sakura cocked her head and her brows furrowed in confusion.

"I don't come here just for blood. Your blood isn't what I want when I come over."

Sakura inhaled sharply and kept her gaze steady on him. Eyes that always glimmered with everything she felt for him. Everything he wanted to keep glimmering for him. Always for him.

Because she━she was everything.


	3. somewhere

**Part Three: Somewhere**

* * *

Sighing, Sakura drummed her fingers against the back of her phone, A habit she had picked up after her best friend came after her about wringing her hands into the hems of her tops and skirts. She had to do something with her hands as she waited, so she drummed her fingers and listened to the way her freshly manicured nails tapped against her phone case.

She was early. She knew she should have been late, made Sasuke wait for her instead of the other way around but sitting around waiting for their meet up time made her antsy.

It had been Sakura's idea to go out to dinner. Sasuke had suggested a movie but she wasn't a fan of movie theaters for dates. If she was going to watch a movie it would be at home where she could be in her comfy pajamas and cuddling on her couch.

But there had been too many "dates" in her small apartment and she was starting to feel confined considering she only went out when she needed to go to school or visit her family.

So Sakura suggested dinner so that Sasuke wouldn't feel like he had to feed her that evening and after a long week at uni, she was in no mood to cook herself.

_The sun is almost all the way down...he should be here soon…_

Letting out another sigh, Sakura gave up on waiting and headed inside the pub on her own to grab a table. She would just have to text Sasuke so he would know where to find her.

Sakura paid no mind to the other patrons, just requested a table toward the back of the shop if possible and followed the waitress.

Sitting down and setting her cross body bag down, Sakura looked around the room and then back at her table. Perhaps she should have chosen a seat at the bar. It was much more casual than the informal setting already was and maybe that would make her feel more relaxed. Sitting at her table that was meant for four patrons there were only two logical options. Either Sasuke sat directly in front of her or in the seat to her left right next to her.

Sitting next to him felt like something high schoolers would do. Not that she would know from personal dating experience. She had never been one for dating. Sakura had attended an all girls school and had received the occasional confession from classmates at her cram school but it never went anywhere.

When she went out for drinks with members from a circle she was a part of she observed the couples and how they interacted but when she had started dating a boy from the same circle they never got past the texting and phone calls before bed phase.

Academics had always been the priority for Sakura and now as a young adult in a relationship, her partner made everything so easy for her by being so accommodating. Sasuke never asked for much, just that she took care of herself during the day when he couldn't be with her.

_He probably would have been fine if we ordered a pizza_, Sakura chuckled inwardly as she took her reading glasses out so that she could read the menu. She could order ahead and the food would be ready by the time Sasuke showed up. _Ikayaki would be good...and some karaage and definitely some gyoza. I should order some cabbage for all of this food too._

Sakura's drink arrived around the same time she received a text from Sasuke that he was crossing the street and would be arriving soon. She replied that she was seated toward the back of the shop and waved her hand to call for a waitress. In the middle of ordering their food a second waitress appeared.

"Excuse me, ma'am. There seems to be a bit of a mix up."

* * *

Sakura was fuming as she and Sasuke walked toward the station. Not once in the past few years had she ever noticed that the izakaya she and her friends frequented was a segregated establishment.

"This is my fault," Sakura sighed out, rubbing her forehead with the heels of her palms. "I'm so stupid. I should have asked first."

Sasuke pulled her hands away from her head and interlocked his fingers of one hand with one of hers.

"It's fine. I should have expected it." He pulled her along, never letting go of her hand. "Besides, I wanted pizza anyway. We can just buy some beer on our way home."

But it wasn't fine. Sakura let herself be guided across the street and focused on the feel of Sasuke's fingers against her own. Even in the summer heat, his touch was welcome. Despite the clamminess and sweat, Sakura felt safe being held by him.

"Isn't that a━"

"Yeah, it is!"

The poor excuse for whispering caught Sakura's attention. A pair of college aged girls openly gawked at Sasuke and she wouldn't have thought anything of it━Sasuke was a beautiful person, of course they would stare━if it weren't for the look of disgust that washed over their features when their gaze drifted down to Sakura and Sasuke's joined hands.

"Oh."

"Don't stare too much."

One of the girls noticed Sakura looking at them and grabbed her friend by the elbow and turned her around. They continued to whisper harshly to each other even as Sakura and Sasuke had long past them. A quick look over her shoulder had Sakura catching them staring at her again.

It was hypocritical of them to fawn over Sasuke, but then be disgusted with her for having a relationship with him.

Humans had a strange look but don't touch policy when it came to vampires. It was alright to appreciate their good looks. It was alright to think about what one would do with a vampire but it wasn't okay to actually follow through.

"_Fangbanger."_

Sakura curled her arm around Sasuke's elbow and laid her head against his upper arm. She remembered now why she preferred to meet him in the safety of her apartment no matter how suffocating it felt to be indoors day after day.

"Tired?" Sasuke nudged her slightly to get her attention. "We can grab a taxi instead."

"No, I can deal with the train."

Sasuke looked down at her and cocked his head slightly to the side. He must have seen something he didn't like because he tugged her closer so they stood at the curb.

"Nah, let's get a cab."

* * *

"Why don't you ever invite me to your place?"

Sasuke's eyes widened and he almost choked on his tea. Sakura had been quiet for most of the night and while that had caused some concern, he knew she would speak up when she was ready. He just hadn't expect her to ask him about his apartment.

Sakura has turned and propped her elbows on the back of her couch so she could face him. He set his mug on the counter and leaned over it, bracing himself for more questions.

"Do you live in a vampire only residence? Am I not allowed on the premises.l?"

"Yes and no." Sasuke chewed on his lip. "I'm not hiding anything if that's where you're heading with your questioning."

"I wasn't thinking about that but now that you brought it up—"

"I'm not," Sasuke cut her off, speaking firmly. "My friends have a habit of breaking in whenever they please and I would rather they didn't interrupt the time I spend with you."

"Do your friends know about me?"

"Karin does which means they all do. She wants to meet you." Sasuke grabbed his mug and sat back down on the couch with her. "But she has no filter and will use that as a chance to embarrass me."

"So that means if I wanted to, I _could_ spend a night at your apartment."

After their failed dinner plans Sakura had done some research on different establishments in the city. Over half of the restaurants and entertainment facilities were segregated and another quarter of them were human only while the remainder were vampire only. It was strange how she never took notice of that until it affected her.

"I guess you could." Sasuke set his mug on the coffee table and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer so she was in his lap. "My leasing contract didn't state anything about humans being forbidden. But I think that's because humans wouldn't typically want to live with vampires."

"I would want to live with a vampire."

Sakura turned so she could hook her arms around his neck. She traced the line of his throat with her nose and ghosted kisses against his jawline. She molded her lips with his as she settled herself so that she was straddling his lap.

"I wouldn't be opposed to it. Depending on the vampire."

"You know," Sasuke murmured as Sakura continued to press open mouth kissed down his neck and sucked at his pulse point, "we never checked if I was allowed to be here either."

Sakura paused and pulled away, giving him a contemplative look.

"Oh my god...you're right, we didn't. I should go check my contract."

Sasuke snatched her by the waist before she could remove herself from his lap. He snuggled his face into her chest and muttered, "That can wait until later…"

"Spoiled," Sakura teased him, running her fingers through his hair, brushing them against the pointed rounds of his ears. Sasuke hummed against her sternum when she played with his hair. He pressed his face deeper against her chest and splayed his fingers against the small of her back.

He never acted as if he cared about the fact they were technically different species anymore. After their one week fall out months prior, the two of them had been almost inseparable. There was a designated space in her dressers and closet just for Sasuke's things. An ashtray sat on the banister of the veranda. His toothbrush sat right next to hers in the holder in the bathroom. He even had discreet pouches of blood stored in her refrigerator for the week in the month she wasn't able to feed him.

And Sakura wouldn't have it any other way.

Gently turning his face up to hers, Sakura pressed a kiss to his lips, ever so grateful that he was there with her in her little apartment.

"I love you," she breathed against his mouth, pulling back for air. She cradled his head in her hands and decorated his face with kisses. "I love you Sasuke-kun."

He made her burst out in giggles when he pushed her back on the couch and wedged apart her legs to settle in the cradle of her thighs. Sasuke kept his eyes on her face as he trailed open mouth kisses down her torso, pulling down her cotton shorts in the process to show her how much he loved her as well.

* * *

Sakura groaned, sliding her arms out in front of her on the table top. She was using the time before her lecture started to research more on integrated locations.

"What's up with you?" Yamanaka Ino,her best friend, asked her, bringing their iced coffees to the table. "Is school really that frustrating? You should just drop out and get married like I did."

"You didn't drop out," Sakura rolled her eyes, "well, not exactly. There's nothing wrong with withdrawing to take over your parents' shop. Still can't believe you married that weird customer."

"Sai-kun's a bit eccentric but loveable." Ino took a prim sip of her iced latte and then turned a sly smile at Sakura, blue-green eyes twinkling mischievously. "So what's the _real_ problem? Because you've been looking up date spots."

"How—what? How did you even—"

"I used the reflection from the shop window to look at your laptop monitor. I thought you were finishing up a report for your afternoon lecture at first but that's not like you at all."

Sakura's face burned with embarrassment. She covered her face with her hands to hide the redness creeping on her cheeks. Because of her school schedule and Ino's work schedule, it had been easy to hide the fact she had been involved with someone for over a year. She had never expected Ino to find out now before she could figure out a way to confess her partner wasn't human.

"My boyfriend's birthday is coming up." Sakura peeked at Ino's face between her fingers. "And I don't know what to do for it."

"Take him to a love hotel," Ino responded with a straight face.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Sakura whispered harshly, throwing a napkin at her.

"What? If you're stuck just give him your v-card. He must be something if you're actually worried about his birthday."

Sakura hid her face behind her hands again and asked God what had she done to deserve such a loud and bold friend that didn't care about the setting when it came to topics of conversation.

She mumbled behind her hands and Ino reached over the table to pull her hands away from her face.

"Stop that! I can't hear you when you mumble like that."

"I said," Sakura coughed and then lowered her voice, "I already did."

Ino pulled back and gawked at her, eyes wide and jaw dropped ungraciously.

"Shut up."

"It's the truth," Sakura muttered, making herself smaller in her seat. "We've been seeing each other for almost a year now…"

It wasn't a lie technically.

In a month it would be a year since they had met although they hadn't started an intimate relationship until much later that hadn't gone beyond the walls of her apartment.

"And here I thought you wouldn't have sex with anyone until your wedding night."

"I wasn't going to wait that long..."

"Haruno Sakura, you wouldn't let a boy hold your hand until you had been talking to him for three months. And we were twenty."

"I'm just selective."

"Well," Ino huffed, "this guy must be really special then."

"He is," Sakura admitted softly, chewing on her straw.

"So why haven't I heard about him?"

Sakura choked on a sip of her coffee as Ino stared her down. Ino propped her elbows on the table top and laid her chin on her delicate fingers clasped together. It's a familiar sight, one Sasuke uses and guilt pools in Sakura's stomach.

Ino was her first real friend when she entered university━her first real friend ever considering she never made any effort in high school after years of being taunted for her proud, high forehead.

"I just…"

Sakura began to wring her hands in the hem of her shirt and Ino snapped her fingers in front of her face. Sakura glared at her, batting her hand away.

"You might get upset if I told you about Sasuke-kun."

"Well at least he has a name." Ino rolled her eyes but smiled reassuringly. She waited expectantly for Sakura to tell her more. Sakura chewed on the inside of her cheek and took a deep breath.

She told Ino an edited version of events, not wanting to let her know that she and Sasuke had slept together before they had even discussed their feelings for each other. It didn't take long for Ino to badger her for more details and pull it out of her and the two of them almost got kicked out of the shop for causing a scene when Ino's voice reached an inappropriate volume that had Sakura shouting back.

"So he eats you and then he eats you━"

"Really, Ino? Really?" Sakura cut her off before she could saying anything crude. "And technically he drinks my blood, so not exactly eating me."

"He's still consuming some part of you," Ino stated matter of factly. "Still. Who would have guessed that you would be a bigger freak than me."

"Don't make me regret telling you." Sakura snapped her laptop closed and laid her head on top of it. She still had another hour before class but she had exhausted her eyes searching from site to site.

"Huh. But that means a love hotel might really be your only option then."

"What?" Sakura sat up and gave Ino a quizzical look.

"Sai works in these things. He's one of the only humans at the law firm he works at. Love hotels are one of the only integrated establishments around town for obvious reasons." Ino tapped on her chin thoughtfully and then snapped her fingers. "I'll talk to him and see if there's anywhere _classier_ you guys can celebrate at."

"Sai is a lawyer? I thought he was an artist?"

"Art is his true love but being a lawyer is what pays the bills."

"And let me guess, you thought telling me he was an artist was more romantic?"

"Do you want my help or not?"

* * *

It was the third night that week that Sakura had fallen asleep on the couch while reading her textbook. It wasn't until Sasuke was sorting their laundry for the wash and had asked her a question about one of her blouses that he had noticed she had fallen asleep.

He gathered her books and papers and organized them on her coffee table and shut down her laptop. Scooping her up he carried her to bed and made sure she was tucked in.

Summer break would begin in a week but she still had an exam before she could go on holiday.

_She's getting tired so easily lately..._

Sasuke brushed hair away from her face and pulled up the sheets up to her chin. He had come over before his shift at work to spend time with her, even if it was just to be in the same place. It was the week in the month he wasn't supposed to drink from her so he didn't mind that she had fallen asleep before he left to work but it worried him how fatigued she was.

Their trip coming up would be a good way for her to relax after a busy term. One of Sakura's friends had found a ryokan that catered to vampires that also allowed human guests. It would be a long trip but at least the two of them would be alone with no worries about work or school.

_I should make a shopping list._

Sasuke went around the apartment and took note of the stock of her items. He wrote down what was needed in the kitchen and wrote down laundry detergent and fabric softener because they were almost out.

_Huh. That's odd._

Sasuke shrugged closed the medicine cabinet over the bathroom sink. The box of sanitary napkins was halfway full like it had been after last month.

_It must have been a light week._

* * *

With a yawn, Sakura checked through her oversized purse one more time to make sure the tickets for the Shinkansen were still in her pocketbook.

"You okay?"

She couldn't see his eyes through his sunglasses but she knew Sasuke had to have been looking down at her. It was sunset but the light was still too bright for his sensitive eyes.

"I'm just sleepy. I can take a nap on the train. Would you mind?"

"I have my earbuds, I can listen to music. And I might sleep too."

Sasuke tugged her closer to him and she leaned against his arm. They waited a few more minutes and finally it was time to board.

"Sir," an attendant called out to Sasuke, "I'm sorry but you cannot sit in this car. It's a human only car."

"What?" Sakura pulled out their tickets and showed them to the attendant. "But when I bought the tickets no one told me that the cars were segregated."

"There must have been a misunderstanding."

"I know what happened," Sasuke sighed. "When you bought the tickets the clerk assumed your companion was human as well. Are there any integrated cars we could exchange our tickets for?"

"Unfortunately not for this line," the attendant apologized. "I don't believe there are integrated train cars in Japan yet."

"I'll go sit in a vampire car then."

"That can be done but we only have space in the unreserved cars at this time."

"Of course you do."

"I'm sorry Sasuke-kun." Sakura tugged on his sleeve, looking down at her feet.

"It's fine. I'll see you when we reach our destination."

Two hours of passing LINE messages back and forth is how they spent their time until they reached the station. They then switched to the subway which gratefully had no more segregation issues they could run into. They rode in relative silence only breaking it when Sasuke took Sakura's travel bag from her to carry it.

By the time they had reached their ryokan, Sakura was no longer in the mood to try out the hot springs available at the resort.

"I messed up again."

Sakura had waited until the nakai had finished giving them information and left before dumping her bag on the tatami. She hid her face behind her hands to cover the tears of frustration that were welling up.

"I already knew there might be complications. We already ran into the same problem before and yet I still didn't double check."

No matter how much she tried to blink them away, she couldn't keep the tears from rolling down her cheeks. They pooled against her hands and slipped between the space between her fingers and her face. She was so angry with herself for being so _stupid _and forgetting that no matter what there would always be a barrier between her and Sasuke.

Strong arms wrapped themselves around her and pulled her into an embrace. Sasuke rest his chin on the top of her head and stood there quietly. Slowly, Sakura wrapped her arms around him and hugged him back, crying softly into his chest.

"Better?"

"Not really," Sakura sniffed. "This isn't how I wanted to celebrate your birthday."

"We technically have another 2 hours until it's officially my birthday."

"Well if you wanna get technical then," Sakura giggled. "What do you wanna do? I can stay up for another few hours easy."

"We can take a bath," Sasuke suggested, a teasing lilt to his voice, "in the private onsen the nikai so kindly pointed out."

"Oh, can we now?" Sakura giggled some more and then sighed. "I'm tired though so can we keep it to just a bath?"

"I never mentioned anything else," Sasuke feigned innocence.

"It was implied and you know it."

* * *

"Don't you think you're overdoing it?" Sasuke raised his voice so that it could be heard over the hair dryer.

Sakura hummed in disagreement and ruffled his hair as she waved the hair dryer over his head. When she was satisfied with the dryness of his hair, she shut off the cordless hair dryer and placed it in her bag. After she had finished drying her own hair, Sasuke's was still dripping and she needed to intervene.

Slumping against his back, Sakura draped her arms over his shoulders so they slipped down his chest. She sighed dreamily, and nuzzled her cheek against his head. The bath had done its job of relaxing her body after the long trip but what really had relieved her stress was how Sasuke let her do as she pleased in caring for him. He didn't even argue when she had done the unnecessary task of helping him tie his yukata properly.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Huh?" Sakura's cheeks warmed up as Sasuke pulled her arms off of him to pull her around in front of him. He sat her in his lap sideways. Of course he had figured out why she was taking any opportunity she could find to put her hands on him.

Sasuke wrapped his arms around her and tucked his head into the space between her neck and shoulder. His lashes tickled her skin with every blink.

"I'm not going anywhere," he spoke against the crook of her neck.

Sakura gave a shaky exhale and breathed in the minty scent of Sasuke's usual soap that still lingered on his skin.

"What do you want to do? We could go for a walk in town or we could…" Sakura's voice trailed off as Sasuke tugged on her obi so that it became loose. "Or we could do that."

"Why did you bother with underwear?"

"W-why wouldn't I put underwear on?" Sakura spluttered as Sasuke slipped her yukata off of her shoulders. "Can we at least put out the futon?"

"I set it out while you were busy drying your hair."

"Oh, so _that's_ why you were still wet even though you got out of the bath before I did." Sakura giggled as he pressed hot kisses to her shoulder. The scheduling would have been different considering it was a ryokan that catered to vampire guests. "So impatient."

"Ssshhh…" Sasuke shushes her, ghosting his fingers over her bare thighs. He slipped a hand below the waistband of her panties, skimming past the downy pink hair, and stroked lazily at her folds.

As he set to making her comfortable, Sakura focused on divesting him of his own yukata, a task he complicated by batting her hands away when they got in the way of the attention he lavished her with.

"Sasuke-kun, you're being difficult," Sakura accused him when he let her catch her breath. She reached for his obi again, but he shifted to trail kisses between the valley of her breasts and down her stomach. "_I'm_ supposed to be spoiling _you_, remember?"

"It's not my birthday yet, you can wait."

"You're being incredibly selfish right now."

Snorting, Sasuke nudged her thighs apart with his shoulders and got to work lapping at her core. Wrapping his arms under legs and back around, he held her down by her waist.

Dragging his lips away from her folds, Sasuke sucked on her inner thigh and Sakura felt a sharp nip on the fleshier part. Sasuke gave a sure lick to the punctures before moving on to the other thigh and giving it the same treatment.

"Turn around," Sasuke demanded even as he was already bringing her leg over to twist her body around so that she was on her stomach.

"Bossy, bossy." Sakura wiggled her hips as she propped herself up by her knees and forearms.

"As if you don't enjoy it." He went back to stroking her folds, slipping his middle finger into her core and pumping it in and out.

With Sakura turned away from him, he had easy access to one of the more sensitive parts of her body, her back. Leaning over her, he inserted a second finger and thrust deeper as he pressed a kiss first to her nape and then down her back. His pace was slow as he concentrated on feeling the way she trembled beneath his lips.

Keeping her distracted with the sensation of his teeth scraping against her shoulder blades, Sasuke used a single hand to loosen his yukata and pull down on his boxer briefs. Sakura had continued to rock her hips against his hand, the walls of her core clenching around his fingers signaled how close she was to climax.

Swiftly, Sasuke pulled out his fingers and before Sakura could voice a complaint, he thrust inside of her and slowly sank in as deep as he could go. He filled her slowly and she let out a guttural groan at the feeling. Taking hold of Sakura's hips, Sasuke grinded slowly against her. He slipped a hand around her thigh and reached between her legs for her bundle of nerves and traced lazy circles around it.

"Really?" Sakura huffed, twirling her hips to try and get his hand to shift closer to where she wanted him, but Sasuke evaded her clit. "You're being a pain in the ass, Sasuke-kun."

She yelped when he used his knee to spread her legs further apart and began to jackhammer into her. Her hands scrambled for purchase on the futon. Sakura clutched the material and braced herself for the combined onslaught of Sasuke pounding into her while he played with her little hardened nub.

It never came, because as soon as her hips had grown accustomed to the pace he was setting, he turned her so she was on her back. He lowered himself so that his forearms rest by her face, caging her head. Taking the opportunity in front of her, Sakura cupped his face with both hands and kissed him, grateful that he opened up to her tongue without provocation.

They continued at a steady pace until Sasuke adjusted his body so he could glide his hands down her sides and cupped her backside. He tilted her at an angle that had her crying out. Wrapping her legs around his waist, Sakura slipped her arms around his back, nails scraping down his shoulder blades as Sasuke thrust harder and faster to chase his own release.

Warmth filled her and Sasuke slowed his thrusting to a deep grind, holding onto her tight as he spilled completely inside her.

Sakura giggled as Sasuke trailed kisses over her face, still not removing himself from inside of her. She brushed his bangs away from his face and sighed dreamily.

"Happy birthday Sasuke-kun."

* * *

Rubbing her eye with her fist, Sakura slumped into her seat at the donor center. It had been two weeks and she was still having difficulty adjusting back to her schedule after being nocturnal for a week for her trip to the onsen.

The only positive was that she was still on summer break and could use her trip back to her hometown the following week to adjust back to her day time schedule.

"Let's get your vitals while we wait for the results of your test, Haruno-san." The medical assistant smiled gently at her as she wrapped a blood pressure cuff around Sakura's arm.

Sakura yawned for the fifth time during her visit and the medical assistant stopped typing on her computer to give her a concerned look.

"Are you feeling fatigued, Haruno-san? We may need to give you some more supplements and possibly a month break from donor duties."

"Oh, no! I'm just sleepy." Sakura smiled reassuringly. "I've been staying up late now that I'm on vacation."

"Well, we will know when your blood results come in if we need to make any━"

"Excuse me?" A second medical assistant knocked on the wall of the cubicle. "May I speak to you for a moment?"

Sakura's medical assistant frowned but excused herself, stepping away from her station. Sakura swung her feet to distract herself from the low whispers from around the corner. Minutes later her medical assistant came back with a packet of documents and a folder.

"Unfortunately Haruno-san it appears that you will need to cease your donor duties effective immediately." The assistant handed her the documents she brought in. Sakura quickly scanned the paperwork, her lower lip trembling and her heart beating faster with every word. "We can take care of it in house if you would like, but you don't need to make any decisions now. We will contact the vampire you are assigned to and let him know that you will not be working as a donor until further notice."

"May I tell him instead?" The question came out so softly that Sakura wasn't sure the tech had heard her until she reached over and took her hand in her own and gently patted the top of it.

"Although this usually happens with our married donors, it's not a rare occurrence so we do have back up plans for situations like yours. Vampires know when they sign on for a warm donor that there's a possibility that their assignment may change so you don't need to worry about disappointing your vampire."

The medical assistant reached over to a drawer under her station and pulled out a few pamphlets. She looked over them and handed two of them to Sakura.

"We will make arrangements for Uchiha-san. There's no need for him to know that you will be stepping down as his donor due to pregnancy."


	4. Let Me In

**Chapter Four: Let Me In**

Sasuke hated text messages.

They could be convenient, especially because he and Sakura were still living in different time periods of the day, but other times they were just confusing.

_Whatever you do, don't answer calls from the center or listen to their voicemails. I need to speak to you first._

That was the first message Sasuke read in the evening when he woke up. He had noticed the missed calls and text messages from other people but Sakura's were always first priority. Which is exactly why he ignored the missed call from the center and voicemail.

He had called Sakura right away but she had told him that she needed to speak to him in person. There was a stuffy, thick quality to her voice that made his stomach ache from worry. She hadn't been crying during the phone call but Sakura had been crying earlier.

"Go home," Karin snapped, snatching the folders from off his desk. "I'll file your stuff away but get the hell out of here. Your anxiety is nauseating, you stink."

"Fuck off," Sasuke muttered, checking from his peripheral if anyone had heard Karin's comment.

"This has something to do with your human, doesn't it?" Karin clutched the folders close to her chest. "She's okay, right? Humans tend to get sick so easily."

"She's fine just…" Sasuke ran a hand brought his hair recalling how easily she had been falling asleep, "more fatigued than usual."

"Stop drinking so much of her blood then."

"I don't think that's the problem." Sasuke sighed and looked at his phone. Maybe if he slipped out he could give Sakura a call and convince her to tell him what was wrong. Or take a longer break.

Karin clucked her tongue at him. "Just go. I'll cover you here. It's not like anything has happened all night."

"Call me if anything comes up." Sasuke shut down his computer. Knowing Karin, she was likely to only call him if someone in the building was dying. One of the leftover symptoms from her long dead amorous affections for him was the preferential treatment she usually gave him. If he didn't want anyone to bother him, Karin would make sure no one did.

It was a lot easier to be friends with a snarky Karin than an overly flirty one.

"Yeah, yeah. But you still gotta introduce me to your human. I'm dying to meet her."

Sasuke offered her a soft smile. Sakura shared the same sentiment and, really, the two of them were likely to absolutely love each other and end up close friends.

That was fine with Sasuke as long as Karin and Konan didn't try and get her to dress like them. As completely unaffected as he was by Karin's slim figure or even Konan's much more voluptuous one, he felt that it would be sweet torture to see Sakura parade around in a cropped top that revealed her taut stomach or a mini skirt so short it could pass for a belt.

Just the thought of her had him missing her all over again. They had been back from their trip only a few days and he was already suffering from withdrawal. He had planned to finish his shift and make his way to her apartment to get his fix of her, even if all he could do was sneak into her bed and curl his body around hers for a few hours as she slept.

Sasuke was tempted to stop by his apartment and pick up some more of his things and prepare to camp out at Sakura's apartment until she visited her family. They found out that he technically wasn't allowed in her human apartment building but as long as his name wasn't on the lease, Sasuke was simply the man that came to spend nights with his girlfriend.

No one needed to know that the man was of the fanged variety.

_Life would be easier if she moved in with me_.

* * *

"Oh, fuck me."

Sakura closed her laptop and pushed it away. Despite the emotional rollercoaster that had been her afternoon, she had fallen asleep quite easily when she got home from the center. Upon discovery that her tiredness was a symptom of being pregnant, Sakura woke up from her nap ready to do some research.

From what she had read, a vampire pregnancy was almost identical to a human pregnancy. There was of course the differences in diet—Sakura had expected as much. She was not prepared for how much sleep pregnant vampires required. They practically went through a period of hibernation.

_There goes my plan of finding a part time,_ Sakura groaned inwardly.

She knew she was going to have to drop out of school, especially now that she was no longer going to be receiving funding from the center, but she had hoped that she could pick up work part time so that she could keep her apartment.

_Looks like I'm not just visiting next week but moving back._

Sakura fell sideways on her couch and curled inward. A hand slid over her lower abdomen protectively.

"_We can take care of it in house if you would like, but you don't need to make any decisions now."_

She didn't need to think long about what she wanted to do. Sakura hadn't even stepped foot out of the center and she knew that without a doubt she wanted to see the pregnancy through.

Reading the results of her lab work, the only thing that had made Sakura nervous was the wine she had drunk throughout her trip with Sasuke and the few beers with dinner she had knocked back the weeks before. She was sure it wasn't an amount that would cause any damage but it was still something she felt stupid about.

On the train ride home, Sakura couldn't help but calculate the expenses that would be coming. She had sent a quick text to Sasuke about needing to talk and immediately began doing the math.

It wasn't until she was two stops away from home that she realized she had been calculating without taking in Sasuke's income into consideration.

It wasn't that she doubted that Sasuke loved her—she just wasn't sure if Sasuke would want to have a hybrid child with her. The two were completely exclusive from each other.

Considering the world they lived in and the issues of segregation of the species, Sasuke may very well have planned to never have children with her. Why subject a child of theirs to the cruelty of the world?

_But I love them._

Their child was a speck, only a couple of weeks old, but Sakura loved them as soon as she saw her hCG levels on that piece of paper. They were her, they were Sasuke, they were love. And she would welcome them into the world even if Sasuke was against it.

She tried to strengthen her resolve and tell herself that she could handle it if he preferred she aborted—that he would have no part of the difficulty of raising a half vampire, half human child. She tried to tell herself that, but her chest ached and her eyes stung from imagining Sasuke's rejection of the physical manifestation of their union.

_I guess it's a good thing I'm going home for Obon, huh?_

All she wanted was to be wrapped up in one of her mother's home knit blankets with the promise of her father's homemade dandan noodles—she didn't even care how spicy it would be, she just wanted home.

"Mama will probably freak out when I tell her that Sasuke-kun has been a vampire this whole time," Sakura muttered into one of her throw pillows.

There was a soft click from the door to her apartment. She sat up and saw Sasuke slip out of his shoes, stumbling slightly from his haste. Sakura had barely begun wiping her cheeks with the back of her hands when Sasuke was already sitting on the edge of the couch, replacing her hands with his.

"I wasn't expecting you so soon, Sasuke-kun. I thought you had—"

"I dipped out early." Sasuke stroked her cheeks with his thumbs, resting his forehead on hers. "Are you okay?"

Sakura sniffed, blinking away tears. "You didn't talk to the center?"

"You said you wanted to talk to me first."

Sakura let out a laugh that was broken by a sob she couldn't reign in. She wasn't sure that she would have had the same restraint as Sasuke if the roles had been reversed.

It was strange. As soon as she heard the news, she had committed to her decision and had started making plans. She had come to terms with her pregnancy and nothing was going to make her change her mind. Sakura repeated the words to herself and had even prepared a speech for her parents and for Ino.

But now she couldn't find the words.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Sakura grabbed one of Sasuke's wrists and pulled it away from her face. She flattened his palm with her thumb and placed it on her lower stomach. Slowly, opening her eyes she watched as understanding dawned on his face. First his eyebrows scrunched down in the adorable way they did when he was confused and then his eyes widened, mouth falling slightly open as he stared at their joined hands transfixed.

"Birth control pills are ninety-nine percent effective," Sakura explained. "But considering we're one of those rare vampire and human couples we should have expected to be that one percent."

"This is why you wanted me to ignore the calls from the center." It wasn't formed as a question but Sakura nodded her head regardless.

"I thought you would freak out when they told you they would need to find you a new donor."

"I wouldn't want a new donor anyway. I can survive on cold donations." Sasuke sat back, pulling her along with him so she settled in his lap. "You stressed me out. I thought you were sick or something."

"You're taking this surprisingly well." Sakura pulled slightly back to narrow her eyes at him. He had begun to rub soothing circles to the small of her back, cradling her body against his.

"It was inevitable." Sasuke smirked at her, chuckling at the drop of her jaw. "The wrong order, but come on Sakura. As if I would want this with anyone but you."

Sakura buried her face into the crook of his neck and grumbled, "I was so stressed and you're acting like it's nothing."

"Well it's not nothing." Sasuke buried his fingers in her hair and massaged her scalp. Sakura murmured softly, content with the small gesture of affection. "But my sister-in-law is a Daywalker. It wouldn't be the first hybrid in our family."

"What!?"

* * *

Sakura shifted on the balls of her feet and combed her fingers through the ends of her hair, twirling the strands so they formed curls that rested against her shoulders. She took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly.

"The longer we stand out here, the later we'll be, Sakura." Sasuke sighed and shifted the box holding the gift of wine Sakura had brought with her to meet his parents in his arms. He was going to need the wine after his mother found out that he had knocked up his girlfriend.

"You're going to be just as nervous when we tell _my_ parents next week!" Sakura snapped at him, closing her compact mirror. "You try being the pregnant out of wedlock human girl in this scenario."

Sakura turned the corner to head to the front gate but then swiftly turned bout almost knocking Sasuke into the high wall that shielded his family home.

"And I know you said your family came from old money, but really this is not what I expected," she hissed, pointing at the compound walls.

"Yeah, great-uncle Madara didn't hold back on the extravagance."

"Stop being so nonchalant about this, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura huffed. She dusted the front of her qipao style fit and flare dress. "Do I really look okay?"

"Good enough to eat," Sasuke replied dryly.

"Oh, you think you're _so_ funny."

"Sakura. You're so worried about making a good impression, but you're making us late and my father is strict about punctuality."

"I'm freaking out, okay!" Sakura wiped her hands down her cheeks. "You said the only one I have to worry about is your uncle, right? But he might not be there?"

"Probably not." Sasuke stuffed his hands into his pocket and leaned against the wall, giving up on being on time. "Not sure what would bug him more: the human thing or the half Chinese thing."

"Oh, great. So I'm double screwed."

Sakura started pacing back and forth, muttering under her breath and second guessing their decision to inform their parents. When she mentioned something about moving to a secluded small seaside town or to the country, Sasuke wrapped his fingers around her forearm and led her to the front gate.

"Come on, my mother is probably freaking out thinking that you decided to dump me instead of having dinner with them."

Sasuke pulled her arm so that it was looped through his and clasped his hand over hers when it settled on his elbow.

Sakura scowled as she glanced around the compound the deeper they went. "It's like a small town here. Is that a river?"

"It's a creek. Once we cross that bridge, it's just a short walk to the main house."

Sakura leaned into him, looking around warily. "I haven't seen your apartment yet and I'm already glad that you live there instead. This place is kind of intimidating."

Sasuke snorted. "You're not even afraid because you're surrounded by a clan of vampires, but because of how wealthy they are."

"Well when you put it that way it does sound silly."

He patted the hand that rest at his elbow to soothe her and led her through a grove of trees that blocked the main house from the rest of the buildings for privacy.

They had barely passed the last line of trees when they heard a cry of "Sasuke-kun!"

"What was━" Sakura couldn't get the question out before she was tackled into a strong embrace by someone. It was no wonder Sasuke had insisted that he carry the gift for his parents.

"You're so cute!" A woman who looked no older than thirty with a similar face to Sasuke's gushed, pulling back only for a moment to look at her face before she was wrapping her arms around her again.

"Um, I━" Sakura squeaked when the woman tightened her embrace.

Sasuke sighed and tugged on Sakura's arm, only for the woman to hold on even tighter. "Okaasan, she's human remember? You're hurting her."

"Right!" Sasuke's mother loosened her hold but grabbed both of Sakura's hands in her own as if she were afraid that she would run off. "Come in, come in."

"I'm Mikoto, Sasuke's mother," Mikoto introduced herself, linking her arm with Sakura's as they walked up the path to the house.

"I'm Haruno Sakura." Sakura flushed at the bright smile the beautiful woman gave her. She had almost assumed that the woman was Sasuke's sister-in-law because of how young she appeared. _Must be a perk of being a vampire._

"You could have waited until they entered the house before pouncing on her." A handsome older gentleman was at the entrance of the door giving Mikoto a disapproving look. The way his mouth thinned into a straight line reminded Sakura of whenever she did something that earned her the 'Look' from Sasuke.

"And this is my husband, Fugaku."

Fugaku inclined his head slightly in a bow towards her before turning to Sasuke and reprimanding him. "You're late."

"It seems like every time I come here, the house gets further and further away from the entrance of the compound," Sasuke covered for Sakura, slipping out of his shoes and lining them up next to the neat row on one side of the genkan.

"Come this way," Mikoto gestured down a hall after offering Sakura a pair of slippers.

"Your father is a silver fox," Sakura muttered to Sasuke as they followed behind his parents.

"Please don't." Sasuke nudged her arm gently with his elbow, but the tips of his ears were tinted red.

"What? I'm just making an observation. You're going to age really well."

Sasuke let out a low groan from the back of his throat but chose to ignore her comment and pulled out a seat for her.

"We really should have invited Itachi but Sasuke insisted that just the four of us meet today." Mikoto clasped her hands underneath her chin in the same fashion Sakura had seen Sasuke do and narrowed her eyes at her youngest son. "I wonder why."

"After dinner, Mikoto," Fugaku grunted, eyeing Sasuke as he took a sip of his tea.

_Oh this doesn't look good for us_, Sakura cringed inwardly. _Doesn't look good at all._

* * *

Surprisingly, dinner had been more pleasant than Sakura had originally thought it would be.

Fugaku appeared as imposing as the vast estate the Uchiha made their home, but he was mostly soft spoken like Sasuke was. Sasuke had told her about what his childhood was like and while his father was strict when he was younger, he had mostly mellowed out as Sasuke got older.

Sakura decided that she liked Mikoto━really liked her. She had calmed down from the earlier excitement and she reminded Sakura of her own mother. She wanted to know everything about her and kept pushing more food towards her.

"You already know all of that, okaasan," Sasuke muttered, interrupting his mother's questions about the vacation they had just taken.

Mikoto scoffed and waved her hand dismissively at him. "You told me _your_ version of events which was boiled down to 'It was nice. I would go again.' Not exactly what I was looking for. I need details about the place."

Sakura couldn't help the giggle that snuck out of her as she watched her pouty boyfriend interact with his mother. The two of them really did remind Sakura of her own mother and herself. Just not as loud as the Haruno women could get.

_We're still the same in the end. _Sakura smiled softly at the scene before her. _Human or vampire, we have our families and our friends._

After dinner, Sakura insisted on helping Mikoto clean up. Sasuke mumbled something about needing to talk to his father and he left with the older man. It was probably about his change of plans for Obon and that unfortunately he would be traveling to Osaka with Sakura.

"We should have some of that rice wine you brought with you," Mikoto suggested, wiping her hands on a hand towel. In a mock whisper she added, "It's Fugaku's favorite."

"I'm actually abstaining from alcohol at the moment…" Sakura mumbled, averting her gaze. "For the next two years potentially…"

Mikoto reached for cups and frowned, "I'm sorry, dear. I didn't quite catch that."

"You're, um," Sakura swallowed and took one of the little ceramic cups from the stack Mikoto was holding and placed it back in her cupboard, "only going to need three of those."

Mikoto stared at her, eyebrows drawn down quizzically. "If you say so…"

She knew she was acting weird, but Sakura couldn't just come out and say it. Sure she would have preferred their meeting to have been sooner—at least not only after getting knocked up—but that wasn't the woman's fault and Sakura wasn't going to ruin her evening by dropping the ball in the middle of her kitchen without letting her son be the one to tell her in his own way.

So she kept her mouth shut, too afraid to let their news slip early, and followed Uchiha Mikoto to the living room and helped pour sake for Sasuke's parents.

"Your son plans to go to Osaka next week," Fugaku informed his wife while eyeing Sasuke.

"Osaka? But you just came back from a trip in the region."

"He's traveling with Sakura who is visiting her family."

"Oh, my." Mikoto's lips curled into a devious smirk and now Sakura knew where Sasuke got it from. "Oh my, my. Visiting the future in-laws, hmm?"

"Yes," Sasuke answered bluntly. "We will be expecting a new addition to the family in the spring."

Mikoto's eyes shone brightly and a squeal began to form in the back of her throat but was interrupted by her husband. "I thought you wanted the ceremony to take place next month?"

"Next month!?" Mikoto floundered.

"Ceremony?" Sakura turned to her boyfriend who was now looking anywhere but at her, his cheeks dusted a pale pink.

"Aa." Sasuke coughed into his hand. "I know a full moon is approaching this month, but a month will give us time to at least notify her parents and formally meet."

"Next month!?" Mikoto asked again, cheeks flushed red in frustration. "That gives us almost no time to prepare. If it can't be recognized legally, it could at least be special!"

"We don't need something big," Sasuke protested.

"I didn't say big, I said special!"

With the two of them bickering, the three vampires almost missed the soft voice asking, "Won't be recognized legally?"

Mikoto sent a glare her son's way who simply grimaced in return. Fugaku glanced back and forth between the two of them before letting out a sigh of frustration and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Unfortunately, Haruno-san," Fugaku replied softly, his features set in a neutral expression, "inter species marriage isn't legal in any country. While among our clan you would be recognized as an Uchiha and even in vampiric circles, the government will not recognize your marriage."

"We would still have a ceremony under Uchiha customs," Mikoto rushed in to reassure her, eyeing Sakura warily as her breathing came out in quick spurts. "It's only paper, Sakura-chan."

It was something that Sakura knew—in the back of her mind she knew—would be impossible, but she had been avoiding the subject. She knew when she was doing research into the segregated establishments that there had to be more laws against her and Sasuke.

Her hand slid from its place in her lap, upwards to her lower abdomen. What did this mean for her child?

Gentle fingers took hold of her other hand. Sasuke interlocked his fingers with her and pulled their hands into a safe cradle with his other.

"She's a medical student preparing for the MCAT and you got her pregnant." Fugaku glared at his son. "You realize the position you've put her in by being irresponsible?"

Embarrassment caused her cheeks to burn, but Sakura squeezed Sasuke's hand gently and with resolve told his father, "It's not Sasuke's fault. We were being safe but things happen. And the MCAT can wait. To be honest, I had been pushing it further and further back. This baby isn't an inconvenience, Uchiha-san."

Silence filled the room and Sakura wanted nothing more than to shrink into the couch. She wasn't expecting silence. She expected yelling and reprimands or cold indifference. Fugaku's concern was surprising, but reminded her of Sasuke's stories about growing up and his father's expectations.

"A spring child," Mikoto broke the silence with a gentle smile. "How sweet."

"They should be due sometime in April." Sakura returned the smile.

"I am not against this, just to preface what I'm about to say," Fugaku drew their attention back to him. "And quite honestly I'm disappointed that Sasuke had not considered warning you."

Sakura winced at the tightness of Sasuke's hold on her hand. _What could it be?_

"If you are set in following through with this pregnancy, you must be prepared for the consequences of having a Daywalker child."

Sakura glanced over at Sasuke through her peripheral. He had a steady glare in his father's direction, who ignored it and continued to keep his attention focused on Sakura.

"Consequences?"

"A Daywalker is not simply a hybrid of a human and a vampire," Fugaku continued. "It is almost an entirely different species, a dhampir. They are rare children born of the union between a vampire parent and a human parent, only rare because it is looked down upon by both vampires and humans to crossbreed. They are viewed as abominations by most, but to a select few that know the true nature of dhampir children...they are something akin to an elixir. While they too have vampiric qualities, their blood has properties that are extremely beneficial to vampires."

Sakura swallowed, fingers gripping tightly to the satin fabric of her dress. "What does that mean for us and our child?"

"After the ceremony, you will have to move into the compound for your safety. Once it is discovered that you have been impregnated by a vampire, ill feelings towards your union or not, you will be targeted for the baby's blood."

"Your daughter-in-law, Izumi-san—?"

"She doesn't leave the compound unless it is day time or she has escorts," Sasuke spoke up this time. "It's a safety precaution, but because her mother is Uchiha, not many know that she's not a pure-blooded vampire."

"It is getting late." Mikoto stood up. "You two should spend the day here. I'm sure you're really tired, Sakura-chan." Mikoto held up her hand at Sakura's protests. "No arguments, young lady. You were nodding off during dinner and I've had two pregnancies so I know now that it's not because we're keeping you up with our nocturnal lifestyle."

Sakura grumbled under her breath but nodded in understanding. At the smile that was sent her way, she had the feeling that no one argued with Uchiha Mikoto and came out the victor.

* * *

Sighing, Sakura sat down at the engawa outside of Sasuke's room and inhaled the sweet scent wafting from the flowers in the garden.

"I'm surprised that they didn't stuff me in a guest room," Sakura teased Sasuke as he took a seat next to her. Unlike her, he had clothing in the house so he was in his normal sleepwear while she was given a yukata by his mother.

"Kind of too late for that, don't you think?" He flashed her a smirk.

"Oi." Sakura nudged his side with her elbow.

"You're going to be my wife, it would be obnoxious to give you a separate room." Sasuke took her hand in his own and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. Before Sakura could voice the question that had plagued her mind since their conversation with his parents, he answered it: "I did know that it wouldn't be a legal marriage before asking my father if we could perform a ceremony."

Sakura laid her head on his arm. "You did?"

"I looked into it."

Sakura perked up at his admission and leaned back to smile slyly at him. "Oh, you looked into it, huh?"

"Shut up." Sasuke readjusted themselves so that Sakura was sitting between his legs with her back to his front. "Don't be annoying, I already told you that we simply went in the wrong order. You knew I meant that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Sure I did," Sakura continued to tease him. She burst out into a fit of giggles when he buried his face into the crook of her neck and blew a raspberry against the flesh there. "Okay, okay, I did. Sasuke-kun, please!"

Sasuke loosened his grip but pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "As long as it's what _you_ want, you're going to be my wife. I don't need a piece of paper to tell me so."

"Then I guess we're getting married next month," Sakura murmured, completely content. "We just have to tell my mother that I'm pregnant next week. Good luck with that."

"Ah, shit."

* * *

**Day's Notes:** I actually hadn't realized that this fic was never updated on this site and I'm sorry about that. On AO3 this fic is actually completed because it's the first part of the vampfiction series but I'm going to just update it all here as one large fic instead of separate parts.


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